colors
by myloveis2
Summary: namine can relate to them so well all of them except pink


Namine sat on the edge of the docking area on their play island, her slender legs dangling over the rim of the wooden structure. The salty waters named the ocean collided with the strong poles that held the stretch of fitted planks over the water, effectively causing the cool liquid to leap up like parched lion cubs and eagerly lick against her bare feet and shins. The golden haired Nobody enjoyed these welcoming visits of cold liquid against her baking skin, however, refreshing and offering her relief from the intense heat of the dying sun. The star was a withering phenomenon, yes, but still severe with the boiling temperature of the concluding hours of the day.

It had come as a bit of a surprise when Namine had realised she could easily walk out of her other whilst maintaining a solid appearance instead of a spectral one. To say that it shocked a certain crimson haired princess when her supposed Nobody just materialised by her side with absolutely no warning, that would perhaps be a bit of an understatement. The blonde girl laughed now as she reminisced about that memorable happening, Kairi's face had undoubtedly been priceless.

Her attire consisted of a different dress from her usual white one, cobalt blue was the majority of its pigment, the bottom flared out, and the edge consisted of small ruffles which were present mainly because of the somewhat tightly weaved in pure white ribbon just above them. The fabric was tight on her torso till it got just below her breasts, before it went over them loosely to become fairly secure against her chest again at the very top, this creased appearing -and designed- part of the dress was a dull white, along with the wide straps that seemed to wrap more around her forearms than go over her shoulders. A sky blue ribbon tied bow was stationed on the front, and as if to complete the look, the blonde girl had added a baby azure bow within her golden tresses which lifted up a good portion of the strands into a loose ponytail. Her cerulean and blanco sandals were discarded at her left side.

There as, in all actuality, a reason for Namine to be dressed up as such. Angel Falls High School was having a bit of a celebration, something called a prom, if the teenage girl's memories informed her correctly. And because Namine was known to be a doddle with memories, she was quite certain that she was correct. Namine couldn't fathom the importance in this event, she'd watched as her true self had squealed along with the hopeless romantic and gossip Selphie, as well as many other island girls, and had been quick to wonder about how such a simple school event could have brought such excitement.

"It's the _prom_, Nam," Kairi had stressed to her Nobody as they passed a poster about the occasion in question during a walk from one class to another, and Namine had brought the subject up, "the eleventh grade prom."namine she said under her breath hopeing Kairi would not hear her, but she did" namine your supose to go to both there so important and the last dance of the year" Kairi said "but it is Febuary and there are no dances after this" Namine said "nope"Kairi answered simply and Namine stayed quiet after that

**But the blonde still didn't understand. **

On the one hand, she wasn't particularly fond of dances, mainly because she possessed no talent whatsoever in the expressive arts department. Subtract the 'expressive' part, however, and it was a completely different story. Dances offered Namine no fun or enjoyment, only sickening embarrassment and flustered cheeks, so she was quick to pass up on any openings for said emotion to be felt.

When it came to art, on the other hand, things were entirely in reverse. The blonde memory witch simply loved to draw, to paint, to colour, to make… and with it all came a sense of pride, of serenity, of happiness. When she was with the second best thing she loved, Namine actually felt as if she had a heart, she could feel a gentle warmth within her chest as she studied the final product and could claim that it was hers without deceit, claim that it was rightfully within her ownership. It was one of the two things that made her feel all fuzzy inside, that made her feel …_complete._

So, when it comes to a decision as to whether she was going with her alter ego to the 'prom' to embarrass herself, or going to the play island to enjoy a spot of art in a picturesque sunset, there really was no contest as to what she would choose.

The explanation that she was dressed up was because the auburn haired beauty's mother, and consequently her 'mother' also, had been somewhat emotional towards this happening and had insisted on addressing the matter herself, helping 'her two girls' to choose outfits and supplying aid to getting them ready. Namine, because she took other peoples, particularly complete peoples as well as a certain fellow Nobody's, true emotions and opinions into account, and because she wanted her 'mother' to be happy and contented. The poor blonde had forced herself to feign excitement within the woman's presence, to dress herself up and get in the car with the others as the woman escorted them to Twilight Hall, where the affair was taking place, to walk with them into the foyer where her 'mother' would then leave the scene with hanky in hand.

**Then she had quite promptly taken her own escape right after her 'mother' had rounded the corner in her silver Volvo. **

Namine knew, without a slice of doubt, that she would be in for a lecture from her true self when she got back home, but at the current time, the golden haired teenager wasn't deterred from her choice in the slightest. She felt vaguely guilty for misleading the woman who had grown into a motherly figure to her the two years she had spent at Destiny Islands, and to some extent she was aware of the loneliness and solitude the play island offered her, too. But the female Nobody also knew that, plainly, she would be wishing for said seclusion had she been in the midst of a dance floor and making an absolute fool of herself. Out on the play island, she was at least doing something that she took great pleasure in, rather than the undesirable opposite.

"Hey."

Such a calm, quiet and sincere voice, it was innocent in that tranquil and relaxed simplest of greetings. It was barely a whisper as Namine felt a pleasantly warm breathe on her nape. A small word, three letters in fact, that yet could hold so much meaning.

Well, isolation was what she had thought she was experiencing, which meant that she hadn't known of this other presence that had somehow managed to row to the island, secure their boat, walk up behind her and speak before she had noticed a thing because she had been too deep within her thoughts of the recent past. Regardless, Namine opted to assess the situation in the utmost calmness.

"Holy crow!" She shrieked, almost dropping her sketchpad into the ocean's depths as she jumped violently. The blonde quickly caught her pad before it managed to complete that journey, but failed to save her unfortunate red tipped paintbrush as it plummeted into those aforementioned depths, spinning uncontrollably as it went. Upset by the lose of her favourite painting tool, Namine rounded blazing lavender-blue eyes to look in the direction that she was sure the voice had emitted from, intent on scorning and possibly shouting at the owner of it. Her heart froze when her orbs were met with that of sapphire blue irises, a pair of eyes she knew only too well as to whom they belonged to, her most favourite ones by a very long shot.

Despite her adoration of them, she couldn't help but fell a slight irritation as their dirty blonde haired owner smiled, especially when an amused gleam appeared within their brilliantly mesmerising depths. She turned away, frowning, and observed the area into which her ill-fated utensil for painting had disappeared into. Her gaze turned solemn as she listened to the sounds of her unexpected companion pushing aside her art equipment and shoes so that he could take a seat next to her on her left, she then switched her stare to fix her eyes on her rescued pad, sneaking a quick glance at him.

He seemed rather uncomfortable as of now, one hand rubbed the back of his slightly spiky head as his ocean blue eyes darted around the scenery in apparent awkwardness. It occurred to Namine that he'd just noticed as he moved her things that a certain one was missing, a certain important one to her. Another fleeting glimpse showed him licking his lips before he raised his own stunning eyes to study her in turn. The golden haired one looked away quickly, hoping that he'd missed her peek and that the slight frown on his face wasn't anything angrily directed at her.

"Wagging it, I see?" He tutted playfully, Namine's head abruptly shot up again in surprise, having expected something completely different, to see him shaking a finger at her, the hilarity replaced within his lips, eyes and gestures, "Naughty girl, Nami, you should know better."

"And you're just here for a quick visit before heading straight back, eh, Roxas?" She replied smartly, tossing her hair over her shoulder into the position she liked it in best in an act of airiness before moving to return her attention to her painting, and then she remembered she didn't have her desired tool anymore. Normally, the nickname 'Nami' would irritate her, but it these certain circumstances, she didn't give it a seconds thought.

"Touché…" Came his humoured response as he suddenly took drastic interest within the sunset displayed before them. Roxas bent his left legs so that the sole of his foot was pressed on their shared platform; he rested his left hand on its crown, placing most of his weight on his right hand as the palm was forced to touch the wooden plank beneath them barely centimetres from Namine's thigh.

The closeness wasn't to be helped, considering the width of the docking pier and the fact that the lighter blonde wasn't entirely up against on of the sides, not really leaving the other much space at all as the side of his left foot seemed to be hanging off the rim as it were. Namine didn't shift her position, however, feeling rather stubborn as a result of her small resentment towards him.

Approaching from behind, the male Nobody hadn't been able to stop himself once just to study her. He'd watched how the sunlight seemed to bleach the outline of her hair so that it appeared to shine, like a complex halo, glowing brightly around her golden head. Even from the back, her dress had looked good on her, fitting her to perfection, clinging to her torso nicely before flaring out from her hips down. He knew this because he could see the material fanning out around her as she'd sat there on the edge. He'd been right in his assumption of which activity she was currently engaged in.

Back then, silhouetted slightly by the sunbeams she faced, Namine had appeared angelic, and for an instant Roxas was reliving one of his true self's memories, one where he was sat on his – _Sora's_ - mother's lap looking at a picture book of angels, with the flaxen haired memory witch playing the role of the angel. She had seemed pretty, attractive, good-looking, cute, perhaps… no… what was the word? He couldn't remember. What was it again? Starting with a 'B'…yes? No? Ah, to hell with it. But she'd looked good, really good.

Still did, actually.

"You too?" She enquired without looking at him, her gaze still persistently on her sketchpad. Namine saw movement in the corner of her eye and could easily assume he'd turned to look at her; this assumption became more set when he spoke, and she was slightly surprised that his tone didn't drip sarcasm or anything.

"Yeah, I never really understood what was so great about this… 'Prom' is it?"

"Join the club," She responded tersely. Silence reigned, it played rather too loud for Namine's taste, but she didn't think she had anything else to say to him until he picked up on a certain connotation to her tone and mood.

Also, the memory witch was; quite frankly, confused about her feelings towards the former number thirteen of Organization XIII. She had a vague idea though, which related to their Somebody's relationship towards each other. Even Namine didn't entirely understand the concept of the bond between Nobodies and their others, although their actual meeting each other was a rarity in itself. Were emotions shared as well as the many other things? Was it possible that, because a certain brunet and a certain redhead had deep feelings for each other, that the same could be said for Roxas and herself? She wasn't sure, but rather certain that it played a part.

These reasons had, naturally, angered the teenage Nobody. It didn't seem fair to her that her life couldn't be completely her own, that some aspects were still somebody else's prior to her use, especially these 'emotions' that she felt. Being a Nobody, someone without a heart of their own, she wasn't supposed to feel, but Namine suspected that having a link to a live and beating heart that wasn't swallowed by the darkness did have its merits, for one, her feelings could be considered partially real. Yes, it didn't seem justice that she couldn't be her own person with her own life, but there was nobody that the blame could be rightfully laid on, it wasn't Kairi's fault that the islands had been consumed by the darkness and that the red-wine haired princess's heart had taken refuge within Soras and consequently out of her own body, for safety.

As the blonde came out of her reverie and noticed that the silence had continued, Namine decided that something needed to be said, and she also opted to not beat around the bush, she hacked straight through and cut to the point.

"Roxas." She stated his name more than anything, hence the reason for the abrupt full stop at the end, but despite her recent resolve to not 'beat around the bush', she at least waited to hear a confirmation that he was listening.

**None came. **

Namine was known by her friends to be a patient girl, so she showed that amazing ability – considered remarkable because of her companies average character, take Selphie for example, need anything else be said? – as she prolonged the time that she would need to force an answer from him for about, say, thirty seconds. After that, even the female golden haired one was becoming somewhat _im_patient, so with slightly clenched teeth, she directed her lavender-blue orbs towards him to demand his attention with aggression. Now, she _was_ expecting him to be there, of course she was.

**But she wasn't expecting her reaction to his garments and overall appearance. **

To Namine, possibly because of the way Sora appeared in the violet eyes of her other, Roxas had always been beautiful, it was a pure fact to the memory witch. But garbed as he was, her lavender blue eyes could not be drawn away from him. He'd changed position again, both black formal looking trouser clad legs hanging of the verge of the wooden structure as he leant back with his weight now evenly spaced out to both his hands, with his fingers splayed. The ashen white pigmented dress shirt that adorned his torso was half un-tucked at the waist and the top button typically remained undone. His collar looked messy and askew, with his untied navy blue tie draped loosely around his neck, the latter's pigment certainly complimented his ocean blue orbs as they gazed vacantly at the breathtaking natural phenomenon presented to them on the warm coloured canvas dubbed the sky.

The fair haired girl didn't understand why such simply garments made him seem so angelic to her biased gaze, but it certainly did, and her gawp became a stare as her bright lavender blue eyes remained unmoving from their position on him. Roxas soon snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in, and he met his companions gaze rather unsurely with a frown on his brow.

"Um… Nami?" He called timidly, idly lifting a hand to wave it in front of her face in an attempt to draw her attention away from his appearance, with his cheeks painted a rather rosy glow. Namine blinked as she came to, flushing furiously herself as she realised she'd been caught red handed. Quickly, the memory witch looked away; allowing her hair to cascade over her shoulder in thick strands and obscure her face from his view like a curtain would hide the sights of outside. A few moments that radiated pure embarrassment for the both of them passed by, because time never stops, of course, and Namine started softly when she felt him suddenly tuck her flaxen hair behind her left ear, catching his confused features as he leaned towards her slightly out of the corner of her left purple-y blue eye.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" He asked softly, leaning a fraction closer in an effort to catch her orbs attention. He was prematurely successful, as she rose to meet his gaze. Flustered by the close proximity, and naturally under the spell that his ocean blue irises seemed to place on her at certain times, Namine answered truthfully without a seconds thought or a moment's hesitation.

"Yes, I was going to point out about how it was my favourite paintbrush that you made me drop into the sea," She explained, and as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. Now that she thought about it, it sounded rather childish to even her as she took the time to mull it over in her mind. _Stupid girl, stupid, stupid, stupid –_

"I know… sorry about that…" His voice echoed soothingly within her brain as it passed through her eardrums, in a tone that suggested that he truly meant it.

"Stu – Wait, what?" The lighter blonde blinked in bewilderment, watching as a crooked smile formed on his lips.

"Your paintbrush, I'm sorry I caused you to jump and, therefore, drop it." He re-phrased, lopsided smile still in place and he looked on as Namine gapped, somewhat impersonating a goldfish rather stupidly before she had sense enough to pass along vocals with her actions.

"Oh…" Was all she managed. Roxas sighed.

"Really, Nami, you make it sound as if I don't ever have the manners and decency to apologize at times…"

The girl was finally able to present a small smile of her own as she found an opening to rebut; "That's because you don't," Teasingly, of course. Roxas' smile became a fully fledged grin as he simply shoved his female companion playfully and chortled shamelessly. Namine laughed along with him, feeling the atmosphere suddenly lighten up as she placed her pad behind her on the solid planks for safekeeping before pushing him harder in turn. Roxas' reaction was, again, unexpected as he suddenly lunged at her and got her in a strong headlock, proceeding to rub his knuckles against her scalp, hard.

The unfortunate girl whined at him to let go in protest as she pushed at his larger arm in a vain attempt to free herself, whining finally became yelling as a crescendo, and Roxas eventually let up and released her, watching with hilarity as she fell back against the pier and scrambled back up with a fire in her lavender-blue eyes. For a second, Namine considered actually hitting him, but then she realised that violence wasn't something that she particularly liked, especially with someone she cared about. The flame dancing behind her pupils suddenly ceased to be barely a spark as the female simply sighed and raised a hand to start sorting out her hair. She was quite startled to say the least when he reached out and grabbed her hand, effectively preventing any such event from occurring.

"Don't, it looks better like that…" He said quietly, lifting his free hand to deftly ruffle up her hair even more. Namine scoffed indelicately.

"Better?" She asked with open disbelief.

"Yeah, neatness doesn't seem to suit you sometimes, it actually looks good with some of your hair hanging loosely..." He sent a small scowl at the top of her head before smiling at her warmly, something the teenage female Nobody didn't miss, but decided to disregard anyway just like she had for the many previous frowns that had creased his brow.

Namine paused, becoming conscious of the fact that he was, in all actuality, telling the absolute truth. It was in his cerulean eyes more than anything, and that was what seduced her so easily. Slowly, she allowed her hands to drop into her lap, Roxas followed suit at a similar pace, finally treating her to another smile as he surmised she wasn't going to make any further attempts to sort out her hairs untidiness. The fairer haired of the two glanced down at the water churning below her feet, for no real reason in particular, and her lavender blue observant eyes suddenly spotted a tiny spot of red within all the clear blue, which she then realised had a small trail travelling farther out that she followed until it ended rather abruptly still within her line of vision.

"Hey, Roxie…" She began softly, evidently using her nickname for him that he had previously announced as 'annoying' to further enrage him, which was her lame attempt at getting back at him. Roxas only looked at her to show he was giving her his undivided attention, however, tilting his head to the side in a gesture she'd come to label 'cute'. This confused and disappointed the other, something that was clear in her tone as she pointed vaguely at the trails rough position and mumbled, "I think I still know where my paintbrush is."

She hadn't expected him to do anything about it, she truly hadn't, but suddenly he was on his feet and demanding to know where exactly it was. Namine, innocently clueless and slightly flabbergasted, then indicated towards its location more accurately and looked on with helplessness despair and a sudden flare of horror as he sprang off solid ground and plummeted into the water's icy depths, disappearing from her sight completely save for a shaky shadow of his outline that she saw faintly on the surface.

"Roxas!" She cried out in exasperation and alarm, instinctively jumping to her own two feet as she watched on powerlessly as he swam further and further out to sea. She had thought that _she_ was stupid, but that sure as hell was nothing compared to this! What was the desired item, but a simple tiny paintbrush? There were plenty of shops around the island, she could easily just walk in and buy another one. Although she _did_ love that one, that one that was metres away from solid ground suspended in the liquid that formed the ocean.

**But she loved Roxas much more than a stupid plain **_**utensil**_**, after all, he **_**was **_**her most favourite thing, no, person – wait, Nobody? – Oh, who **_**cares**_**? What she loved most in the entire worlds…**

Namine mentally cursed as she yelled for him to come back to shore and safety. Did he even know how to swim properly? What if he didn't? Alarm and panic nearly overwhelmed the golden haired female at this thought, _stupid, Roxas! Stupid, stupid, stupid –_ where had he been during his supposed 'life'? Quickly, the blonde began to count off on her fingers; Twilight Town, the World That Never Was, Twilight Town again, the World That Never Was… _again_, and then…_ um_… Destiny Islands?

**Was that really it?**

And even though he'd been there for over two years now, he never really took the time to paddle out towards the tide, preferring to stay on solid ground and simply enjoy himself where it was incredibly dryer, thanks, because he never really appreciated how the grains of sand would stick to you when you were moist, dripping wet and sodden with the water, quite a number on the island didn't.

However, to Sora, Riku, Kairi… everyone, basically, Roxas was somewhat a weirdo. So he was content on the beach, in the Cove, the caves, the jungle, the islands interior with parks and malls and whatnot… Anything but the rolling waves of the great famished void of ocean water. Had that all been for a specific reason? Roxas, quite frankly, didn't particularly like swimming – if that point hadn't _already_ been crossed – and Namine had to admit that the salty water wasn't entirely fantastic either. But now here he was, completely submerged and – hold on, had he even come up for air or anything yet? Holy crow! Perhaps she'd better –

_Sora knows how to swim._

This sudden discovery caused our female Nobody friend to abruptly pause in mid step as she'd prepared to leap in after her male companion, and then breathe out an uneasy sigh through slightly clenched teeth. Of course, if his other knew, then Roxas could simply take the brunet's memories of it and use them for himself, right? _Right_? If the blue eyed Keyblade Master knew how to swim, then surely her fellow Nobody would know…

_**I thought you were a doddle with memories. **_

Namine released a shaky laugh. Because that was answer, wasn't it? Roxas was fine, but since she cared for him so, since she adored his ocean blue eyes, his untidy dirty blonde hair, his crooked smile, even the way he _walked_. Dear lord. So, the blonde had just flat out gone to pieces through her anxiety for his wellbeing due to her feeling towards him. Small pieces. Tiny pieces. Itsy bitsy little molecule sized fragments, fragments of sorrow and fear and…

_Okay, I get the picture._

**Picture…**

Namine allowed herself a small smile of relief when he suddenly broke through the surface, albeit gasping for oxygen and splashing about somewhat more than was entirely necessary, but alive and kicking, quite literally, all the same. Gingerly, or so it seemed to the flaxen haired girl, he began to scramble through the liquid and back towards the docking area to which Namine stood waiting fretfully as she bounced of the balls of her feet slightly, eager for him to get there swiftly before anything else happened.

The female, from a sudden thought, quickly pushed her things further away via her feet in mid bounce; before she crouched down to offer him a helpful hand as he reached the pier. Roxas, for some strange and unexplainable reason, somehow didn't seem to notice the pale limb presented in front of him, and threw the obtained paintbrush onto the wooden planks prior to attempting to haul himself out. He'd managed to lift his body halfway out before his female companion huffed, grabbed his arm, and pulled him clear of the water with a sharp yank.

Consequently, this caused Namine to fall back onto the structure with a dull _thud_, and Roxas was, sadly, literally pulled along for the ride. He landed on the solid ground beside her with a fairly louder _thunk _than the memory witch, full credit to his heavier weight than hers, and as he turned his sodden blonde haired head to look at her he was met with quite a surprise. No, not to his eyes or anything, rather, it was to his cheek.

_Slap_!

Roxas fell back onto the wood abruptly from the sheer force, only stopping himself when he instinctively threw out a hand onto the wood before he arrived on the ground entirely. His eyes wide with shock as his hand went to his now stinging left cheek. Who'd have thought somebody such as Namine could deliver such a powerful blow? Shy, sweet, silent and fragile looking Namine? Not him, personally, but now here she was, her hand still raised as if she was contemplating a second blow, her breathing suddenly rather ragged as a flame waved ironically like water within her lavender blue orbs. In truth, the blonde wasn't thinking about hitting him again, it has already been said how much she simply despised violence, but that slap just… happened. It was the form that her emotions had decided to leave her body through, because a scream just hadn't seemed entirely appropriate to them.

Anxiety. Love.  
_**Panic**_. _**Relief.  
**_**Anger. Tears.**

…**F**eelings **like** colour**s**…

**Red**. **Blue**.  
_**Orange**_. _**White**_**.  
**Yellow. Pink.

**Namine then threw her arms around him… tightly.**

This time, the blonde male was hard put to prevent himself from crashing all the way to the floor, landing kind of painfully on his back with another _thud_. He quickly pushed himself back up, however, his sapphire orbs now wide for an entirely different reason, although still majorly shocked. As soon as she'd grabbed him around the waist, Namine had chocked on a sob, and she'd allowed him to sit up as she clung to him, refusing to let go so as to make it any easier for him.

For a couple of surprised seconds which seemed to tick by rather slowly, as if they were lingering to observe the scene in bewilderment before scurrying away perhaps, Roxas had merely stared down at the top of her golden head where it rested lightly against his chest. Then, quite hesitantly, he'd returned her gesture, quietly snaking his arms loosely around her too. He was glad that she hadn't burst into tears or anything, just that one sob and she'd been able to hold the rest back rather perfectly. But there was still that _darn_ feeling; the one he's felt ever since he'd got here and obtained her company, he frowned again as he thought about it, it seemed to have grown even worse when she'd embraced him so suddenly…

"Idiot…" She whispered, her voice cracking slightly as she did so. He didn't understand why, but it made him _smile_.

Namine heard something whilst her ear was pressed against his chest, so being her curious self; she paused to listen, even holding her breath until she could decipher what it was. When she did, she giggled lightly as she pulled away from him slightly, still retaining her hold of him as she smiled up at him. She was quite the oblivious one when that smile made Roxas' 'heart' flutter a little faster, only working to confusing him even more. When it did this, the male Nobody withdrew one hand to place it over his 'heart' gently. His brow was creased into yet another scowl.

Of course, these two teenagers were Nobodies, so how did Roxas have a heartbeat? You might ask. Well, although no one could really fathom why, the answer would be that because they both had strong connections to their true selves, and had been rejoined with them – however temporarily, the two blondes did indeed have a heartbeat. It didn't truly make any sense to Namine, personally, but everyone had just gone along with it without looking into it at all. So things were still a complete mystery. One explanation could be that they had taken their a half of their other's hearts for themselves, another could just be that they'd somehow gained their own, but nobody knew, although it was about time they did – after two years and such…

"Nami… why does it beat so fast?" He asked softly, looking up at her with an almost pleading look in his deep blue eyes. Namine's smile faltered, she blinked, clearly her throat noisily as she averted her gaze in what she hoped was a pointed gesture, a gesture that said _don't look at me like that_ maybe, but he just tilted his head to meet her orbs with his own again.

"You've just been swimming, Roxas," She supplied somewhat louder than necessary as a result of her sudden nervousness, _nerves? _She scoffed to herself indelicately, _It's just Roxas, why am I nervous?_ Namine met his eyes more willingly, albeit still cautious; "And probably just nearly drowned on me, come to think of it." Quite the lame attempt to change the mood, but she was eager to do just that by whatever means, keen to lighten the sudden tension she felt. Her companion looked away momentarily, as if to mull her answer over in his mind and see if it made sense. Unknown to her, he came to the conclusion that it didn't.

"…No…" He replied slowly, giving her a confused stare, "It's… you."

Namine's breath suddenly caught in her throat. Her? _Wait… then… no – what? He… huh_? The fairer blonde of the two blinked up at the other rapidly. Was Roxas truly that naive, that inexperienced? Did he not…? But, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that nobody had ever really explained these thing to him or anything.

Born in Twilight Town, immediately taken in by Xemnas to become a part of an organization that was solely intent on destruction to get to what they wanted; the heart of all the worlds; Kingdom Hearts. His friends from Twilight Town had probably, or most likely, taught him the meaning of friendship and trust… but it was never really anything like… _that_, at least, as far as she knew. Sora had his memories, that were true, but the brunet never really openly declared what he truly felt, scarcely even _thinking _it even. So that was that, she could hardly expect her fellow Nobody to be able to put a label to most of the 'emotions' he felt… Namine mentally grimaced.

**Ouch. **

"M-Me…?" She was finally able to stutter out, having eventually regained some of her breath.

"… Yes… You make it go wild… Nami, what's wrong with me?" Another frown. The golden haired girl turned away from the sight as she took a _very _deep breath, trying to prepare and steady herself for what she was about to say.

"Have you ever heard of the concept of… _love_, Roxas?"

Dare she truly hope?

Another couple of moments jogged by, casting furtive glances back as if they were puzzled. After such moments did just that, Namine thought it was safe enough to meet his mesmerising eyes again. Yes, to her it was suicidal, but she was willing to take the risk. So she did just that. He still looked quite confounded.

"Love… it sounds familiar… but what _is _it?" Another hopeful glance.

Namine stared at him with her mouth hanging slightly ajar, was it really that bad? He didn't even know what love _was_? But no matter how long she prolonged her silence before answering him, she could find no trace of knowledge within the depths of his irises; he truly didn't know what it was, then? It seemed that way.

**It looked like she had no choice.**

"It's… a feeling that you have for someone," She started slowly, quite surprised with how hard it was to actually explain something that seemed to come to most people almost naturally, "when… you'd die to protect them. And when they're… happy, you are. If they're angry… then so are you. But if they're sad… you're in despair and… longing to punish who caused them their pain. It's when their… _laugh_ is like music to you and their smile just takes your breath away…. To you, they're beautiful, it's a fact. And you care for them so much… when you… hold them you never want to let go, and you can never get them close enough. At least… that's my view of love…"

Roxas looked at her oddly, his eyes gazing at her rather blankly as if his brain had just become entirely void of all thought. Namine couldn't fathom the reason for his reaction to her words as she returned his gaze, surely something must be going on in the former Key of Destiny's mind after her explanation? The memory witch could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, quite literally radiating out her embarrassment in the form of a red hot blush.

She didn't exactly feel comfortable discussing such a subject as _love_ with someone like Roxas, and for a good reason too, a perfectly reasonable cause. It can not be denied that when you've fallen for a certain person and end up talking about something like that it would create discomfort within the speaker, after all. The male of the two, however, was entirely oblivious to said feeling. He noticed her flushed cheeks and suddenly blinked in small surprise, conscious thought slipping back into his face and eyes as he touched the skin of it with his fingertips lightly, his ocean blue orbs shone with wonder, curiosity, and even a little bit of random amusement when she froze from his actions.

"You're blushing," He stated with a shadow of his crooked smile playing on his lips.

_Way to state the obvious,_ Namine thought irritably, before she opened her mouth to say it out loud. This proved unsuccessful and to be quite the impossible task when no sound issued from her throat. So she was gaping slightly stupidly again as a result. Roxas cocked his head to the side as he watched her, looking at her with no decipherable emotion written on his face for her to see. Namine had to admit right then that he was fairly good at concealing what could pass as his 'emotions' rather well.

Namine suddenly felt ashamed, and she wasn't fond of the predicament she found herself in. She was caught red-handed, the flaxen haired girl realised that now, and the thought made her more miserable than she ever expected. In that moment, she wasn't ready to tell him just yet, nerves and hesitation had caught up with her. Tears of salt water sprang to her eyes, and she couldn't contain them.

**Roxas' reaction was somewhat shocking to say the least.**

He saw the tears, as clear as day, he saw the drops of pale blue salt water, salty like the sea, slowly, almost slyly, creeping down her even paler cheeks. Rolling. Tumbling. Cascading. To collect together just beneath her chin and fall down onto her sapphire skirt, staining the material a deeper blue, almost making it look black. Crying, Namine was crying, why was she crying? Was it something he'd done? Was it something he'd said? Maybe, it was aftershock? Or could she just not hold it in any longer? _Was it him that had just caused her to reduce to these tears_? He hoped it hadn't, but then, what else was there to cause her to act in this way?

It was just them, just them and the wood and sand and sea and… a painting, a paintbrush. But he was the only other living thing currently on this spit of land with her, who'd ever heard of wood making someone cry? He supposed sand could, once it was irritating your eyes it was hard not to, the sea? Perhaps. Paintings? Oh yes, pictures always have a meaning, whether you like them or not, it's entirely up to you. Paintings aren't always created just for your liking, they're not all painted for you, they're not forcing you to look at them, you don't even have to appreciate them. They're not there to make you anything in particular; happy, sad, anger, sickly… none of them are intentional. It's not the painting's fault if it makes you cry. But it can all the same.

And so, taking that last part in particular into account, is it a person's fault if they make you cry?

He didn't know. His head was beginning to hurt. All this thinking, all it was doing was going around in circles… round and round, up and down, right and wrong… what? No, that wasn't right, right. Sorry? Ouch.

All of this, fragments of all these thoughts, flashes; _is it…? Paintings aren't… But it can… sand could…_ it all passed through his mind in a matter of mere seconds. To the still silently weeping Namine, barely a second had passed by, and even that one second hadn't dawdled on its passing. All she saw was when he'd suddenly threw his arms around her again as he'd gasped "Nami!" in a … well, she couldn't describe it, really, it was the kind of voice reserved for when the speaker realises that somebody else is crying and are sorry about it.

**That was the somewhat shocking bit aforementioned.**

Roxas sure did his best to get it across to Namine that he was 'sorry' alright. Saying over and over again, _I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… _He hadn't wanted to make her to cry, he never wanted to even _see _her cry, it wasn't right, it just wasn't… He was suddenly cursing himself, cursing himself because he was positive it was because of him that she was shedding tears, in that moment he felt as if he actually _hated _himself…_I'm sorry, Nami, I never meant to make you cry, please, I –_

Namine suddenly snorted at his words, and the crying swiftly turned into splutters of giggles and bouts of the odd sob. Confused and with yet another frown in place, the male Nobody abruptly cut off what had soon turned into a rambling and pulled away from her slightly and slowly, not being able to fathom _her_ reaction this time. When he could see her face, he saw the smile there, a smile of true humour, not strained at all. She was laughing freely now, the brief flare of… well, emotions having dispersed completely along with her new found humour at what he'd said.

"What…?" He queried, cautiously, "What's… so funny?"

She grinned at him, no longer a simple smile, revealing her teeth as she did so. It wasn't a crooked and awkward smile, it wasn't a small and embarrassed turn of the lips, and it wasn't a tense and tight smirk. No, it was a fully fledged and wide beam of a grin, a grin that radiated pure amusement and made her eyes shine brighter, a smile that really reached those lavender blue orbs.

**A Namine smile.**

"It wasn't you Roxas, I'm sorry, that was my fault, not yours." Was what she replied as she wiped a lone tear away from her left cheek with the back of her hand. The dirty blonde blinked in surprise.

"It wasn't…?"

"No."

"…Oh."

There was a small silence, Roxas still had his arms around her, it was as if he'd forgotten this somewhat nerve-wracking fact as he simply sat there and gazed at her. Namine turned her purple-y blue eyes away from him, unable to withhold and meet his own orbs of startling cobalt for a second longer. But except for a tiny slice of discomfort, she was surprised and slightly daunted by the fact that she was perfectly okay with their current position.

Unhurriedly and unexpectedly hesitantly, without even giving his flaxen haired companion any warning or prior notice, Roxas began to draw her closer again. Namine felt it, the tightening of his arms around her, the gentle pulling, her upper half being tipped forwards at an angle, and then finally the press of his chest and cheek against both of hers. She inhaled softly, startled, the intake of breath would have been brusque had she actually had the air to do it. Rather, she realised she'd been holding her breath the entire time. She slowly released it. It skipped across the side of the other's neck; something that wasn't missed by said other. He smiled softly, closing his eyes in apparent contentment.

For an instant, everything was still, and a gentle breeze played with her hair and tousled his spikes for a bit before dropping the strands again, as if bored with them. Namine couldn't speak; it was all so cliché, because he had literally rendered her speechless, incapable of even uttering a simple sound such as a tiny grunt. It was as if she'd lost her vocal cords. He tautened the embrace, almost squeezing her now, and he was still constricting it. But the memory witch didn't cry out, she couldn't, could she? Damn, where were those vocal chords? Had they nipped out for a drink? Had they taken a bloody vacation? Now, she could hardly breathe. What was he doing?

"Namine…" He murmured quietly.

_Uh, Roxas, Namine can't _breathe…

And just like that, he loosened his hold. It surprised the blonde girl so much that she wasn't even able to hold herself up; she toppled that few inches forward to crash back into him. She felt his chest suddenly heaving with silent laughter, even her sense of touch picked up the spells of short breathes that danced across her scalp, but all she could do was blink. It was amazing; really, he'd slackened his grip as soon as that thought had crossed her mind. Weird. Was he a mind reader? As if. Still…

Roxas chuckled softly, lifting a hand from where it rested gently on her back; he laid it on the top of her head, tenderly running his fingers down and through it until his palm came to rest on the back of her neck. Namine's mind somewhat drastically became entirely void of all thoughts; she shut her viewing orbs away from the world, strangely feeling quite out of the blue at peace with it, with everything. What had gotten into him?

She didn't know, she didn't exactly care, what did it matter, anyway? She relaxed against him, feeling at ease and _happy_. And yes, even though they were Nobodies, even if they both weren't supposed to really have emotions and feelings, what Namine felt right then felt as real as his arms did around her small and seemingly frail figure. She was sure he felt it too. Namine, sweet, shy and silent Namine, raised her arms so that her own palms could rest lightly against his chest, bringing herself closer to him. His grip on her constricted in response.

"I see what you mean…" He said delicately, burying his face into her hair slightly as he did so. Namine didn't even blush at the latter, she only smiled lazily. But then his actual words got through to her, not just the sound of his voice, and she turned her head in an attempt to look at him. Something that proved unsuccessful, although she spoke anyway.

"Eh?" She muttered, giving up on trying to see his face, she allowed her head to drop down again to adopt its previous position.

"_You can't get them close enough…_" He recited, repeating her words from her description earlier, Roxas smiled against her scalp, "And that's exactly the case right now…"

He was her fellow dirty blonde Nobody, number thirteen, the Key of Destiny, Sora rearranged with an 'x' in its midst. A shell, a shadow, something that was supposed to be worthless and not supposed to exist, not supposed to be alive and here. Something without a real 'heart' and true feelings and emotions. So he might be naïve, he might be inexperienced. He might act youthful and raw… he might appear _green_. Gullible and as innocent as a newborn baby, as innocent as the wrongly accused, as innocent as it could get, really. But even Roxas wasn't stupid enough to not be able to work the connotation of that one out.

"When you cried back then, I hated myself, because… I thought it was my fault, you know? And then… well… you _are_ beautiful, Nami, yeah, that's the word," He grinned at having worked out the word, it fit her perfectly, "Beautiful…" He hummed lightly, nuzzling the top of her head. This time, Namine really did blush, fiercely, but he remained sweetly oblivious.

"And I care about you… a lot," Roxas continued, "That was another thing, right? Your laugh, your _laugh_, it really is like the chimes of a bell, seriously, Nami, I never knew a human could make such a sound…" His voice drifted off, and he ended with barely a whisper, the words hardly legible, "I love it when you smile at me."

Namine realised she wasn't breathing again, she couldn't, it just wasn't possible, this, was this really reality?

_**Dare she hope?**_

"But I have a label for it now," He pressed on more confidently, with a stronger and louder tone of voice. His female companion froze where she was in his arms, hardly daring to breathe so as to make sure to catch his next words. Roxas didn't seen to notice her sudden stiffness, her tensed up muscles, he was, unknown to her, gazing off miles away. That is, until he snapped back to the here and now to finish off his sentence. Namine was still and silent, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

_**Dare she hope?**_

"It's because… I love you."

Water, salty, wet and fluid water. It sprang, it leapt, it jumped. Soared. Bounded. Flew. Skipped. Hopped. Shot. And something within her chest felt as if it did the same thing, although Namine didn't truly have a heart, it really did feel as if she harboured one right there and then, a pleasant warmth that seemed to spread from her very core. It filled her like water with foreign emotions, foreign to her, maybe, but not foreign to Kairi. Namine knew what these strange vibes were, and the tears welled up within her glistening orbs before she could say 'love'. She was crying again.

**The latter was all Roxas saw.**

To the male, to cry was to be upset, sad and depressed. So, naturally, he mistook her reaction for that of misery. Surprised and in despair, the poor boy held her as she gave a sob and dug her face into his chest, the tears pouring in their bucket loads. He didn't understand, he didn't understand at all. Wasn't love a happy thing? Sadness, happiness… both completely opposite things, but the reaction was exactly the same when you feel a lot of each individually. He didn't know that of course, he just didn't know.

Reactions to being told you're loved by someone who wasn't family, the kind of love that was most important of all, it could be anything. And when you liked the person in return, there was three most common ones most people tended to go for. There's the one when you spring to your feet, where you dance and clap and sing merrily, where the absolute happiness you feel shows true and you stoop back down to kiss them for the very first time, or perhaps it isn't the first time, it depends, really. That's the response which radiates positives, the reply that is shown scarcely and few and far in-between. That was more for the hyper and energetic people, you could suppose, or maybe its not.

Then there's when you stare at them, stare at them long and hard to try and see the truth within their eyes as well as in their words. Words meant nothing, words could deceive, but the human eye could not. It was, quite literally, the window into your soul. And when you can confirm that the declaration is real and genuine, that your companion isn't lying to you, if you like them in return it can either move onto 'Reaction one', or the kiss could just come and you'll have done with it, a long embrace is always sure to follow. The words 'I love you too' are normally spoken before silence reigns, words meant little, in all actuality, actions can speak volumes words could not at times, and that was one of them.

Oh, and number three?

**Fetch the tissues.**

Option three, it seemed, had been Namine's subconscious response, the one that could reek negative from every pore. It's no wonder Roxas got the wrong impression, and his naivety didn't exactly help in the matter.

"Nami?" He enquired softly as he shook her shoulder gently, "_Nami_? Nami, please, I'm sorry –" He seemed to be saying that to her a lot that day, it was like an instant reaction, automatic. Robot.

"S-Sorry?" She gasped immediately, before she began to laugh shakily again, her body quailing beside his in time with both her sniffles and chortles.

"Yes," Roxas said, firmly and worriedly, "I'm sor -"

"You innocently naïve little boy," She whispered.

"I –" But he was abruptly cut off, her finger was what had silenced him, resting gently against his lips. Namine pulled herself away so that she could see his face, and this time Roxas relented and allowed her to put that small amount of distance between them, she smiled lightly at him, even as another tear came into view.

He wiped it away for her, tenderly, and had a sudden inclination which he didn't think twice about before complying to. Something he didn't understand, but went along with anyway. It was like instinct, a notion that you don't give a thought to, but you do it regardless. Yeah, that was exactly how it was for Roxas that day, he didn't know how he _knew _he should do what he did, but he did know, and nothing could ever change that and the action itself.

With the sky overhead a dazzling spectrum in hues of red, orange, yellow, pink, white and blue.

With the sea a bright cobalt in the light of the twilight sun.

With her small frame held here in his arms as he cupped her cheek and gazed down at her delicate face, a face illuminated a white glow by the sun beams that shone on them, like a spotlight, as if they were the centre of attention with only nature as their audience. Although Namine realised that the spotlight wasn't so bad when she was happy and with what she loved most.

It was instinct for him to know that it was the right moment to kiss her.

**So that was what he did.  
**


End file.
